Age of Justice
by Wrtrmd2
Summary: Short stories revolving around the original team and their interactions with their youngest member, as both Robin and Dick Grayson. May possibly do requests depending on the subject. No slash.
1. Disney Debate

A/N: Okay, so I know it's been a while (usually I would make some witty comment about that) and I am sooo sorry. I have no valid (or good) excuse for the first few months, my only one being something commonly known in the world of an author as 'writer's block'. I wrote the majority of this story last night in the hopes that it would help me get back on track; and believe me when I say I have absolutely _NO_ intention of abandoning my other story (I'm just having trouble working out the 23rd chapter). I would have posted this earlier, but… well, my grandfather passed away today. It's still a little unreal, you know. But he was really active and would've hated having to depend on people for everything. One more day would've been… ... anyway, the Lord knows best and he keeps his hands upon us. I just want to thank those that still enjoy my writing and reassure you that I'm not going to stop. Prayers and Patience are appreciated. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or movies mentioned.

Disney Debate

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Robin breathed an annoyed sigh as he leaned further back into the couch at Mount Justice with his arms crossed.

His day had started well enough, surprisingly. Batman had been called away on a very important League mission with Green Lantern and Hawkman that would possibly last all weekend. Of course Robin was a little worried for his mentor's safety, and disappointed that their planned time together would have to be rescheduled… again. But at least he'd had the option of a few days in the company of his friends. That was something to look forward to.

Usually.

It had been so peaceful just sitting there, listening to M'gann's bubbly account of her latest cheer practice. It had been a long week of late night patrols and science fair projects, and Robin found the young Martian's rambling to be quite relaxing.

And then a certain speedster just had to ruin the moment.

Now Robin could understand that Wally was a bit upset about Artemis' replacement of Roy; but it wasn't really her fault that the other archer was being a stubborn idiot. The only thing he was accomplishing by constantly picking fights with her was giving everyone around them a headache.

Such as now.

Robin wasn't even sure what Wally had said to get her started, but it had completely destroyed the quiet atmosphere.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me," Artemis was sneering, "That is without a doubt the dumbest show on the planet! Course, seeing how you willingly parade around in bright yellow spandex should've been a clue that you have no taste _what_… _so_… _ever_."

"Well at least I don't look like a leprechaun!" Wally protested heatedly.

Artemis' eyes narrowed dangerously, "Are you implying that I am short?"

"Oh I'm not just implying. You're as small as your little mind that can't even see the awesomeness that is 'Tron'."

Artemis clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, looking close to punching the smug look off his face. "You are an idiot," she growled choosing to ignore the comment on her height, "That is one of the most boring movies I've ever had the displeasure of watching. I find it hard to believe its Disney."

Robin sat up a little straighter and raised an eyebrow. _Maybe there's a way to spare everyone a migraine after all_, he thought with a barely concealed smirk.

"I don't know, Wally," he feigned serious thoughtfulness, "She kind of has a point about one thing. Nothing beats the classics, right?"

Artemis crossed her arms with a triumphant smirk while Wally rolled his eyes, but M'gann's expression brightened considerably.

"Oh I love all of the old Disney movies," she clasped her hands excitedly, "They would play sometimes on Mars and they have the most wonderful music. Just the other day Conner and I watched a few together after hearing my squad talking about them." She smiled brightly at the clone sitting beside her before turning back to the room at large, "I still prefer 'Cinderella' though; it was the first one I ever watched. And the story is just so sweet."

Robin smiled- partly because of her enthusiasm, partly because Artemis and Wally had finally sat down- and leaned forward to look around M'gann at Conner.

"What about you, SB?" he smirked, "You a Disney fan now?"

Conner shrugged, "The one with the beast was alright." Robin nodded and relaxed back into the cushions. It figured he'd like that one; he could probably relate to the Beast fairly well. Anger issues, trouble expressing emotion, an underlying desire to be loved and accepted.

"I don't suppose you've had any movie marathons at home, have you Kal?" he looked questioningly at their leader.

The Atlantean gave a small smile. "I am afraid not," he replied, "Although I have seen the one called 'The Little Mermaid', I believe." Robin tried not to snicker at the irony of that; of all the movies… "Wally seemed to think I would enjoy it."

Oh, not so ironic after all.

He was about to ask Artemis her opinion, but he didn't need to. At the exact same moment, neither to be outdone by the other, Wally and Artemis said, "I like 'Hercules'."

Try as he might, Robin couldn't hide his amusement at this revelation. He let out a sound somewhere between his usual cackle and a snort as he saw the matching death glares on his friends' faces.

"A-and you guys- thought you had n-nothing in common," he managed to get out from behind his hand.

"We don't!" was the immediate synchronized reply. This had M'gann and Kaldur looking down to hide their smiles as well; even Conner couldn't hide his amusement.

"Whatever," Wally kept his scowl on the blonde, "You just said it to try and get under my skin."

"Oh please," Artemis rolled her eyes, "We said it at the same time, Kid Dork. Not everything is about you anyway. I happen to like it because of Meg."

"What is it that you like about her Artemis?" M'gann inquired, trying to prevent another argument.

Artemis shifted a bit from her spot on the floor, looking uncomfortable. "I don't know," she shrugged, "She's just a strong character I guess. Plenty of sass, trying to do what's right despite her past…"

Robin could practically hear 'story of my life' at the end of her explanation, but that could've been because he knew it was.

"Her attitude is definitely similar to yours," he agreed. His gaze turned to Wally and his eyes sparked with a mischievous twinkle that no one could see behind his sunglasses. "Why do you like it, Wally?"

"Because I can relate to Hercules," he replied with a smirk, "He's a hero and a chick magnet, the crowds love him."

"Yeah," Robin grinned as he shared a conspiritory look with Artemis, "And he started out as a skinny klutz too…"

Artemis smirked, "Maybe one day you'll grow out of that phase."

For a moment Wally seemed lost for words, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Eventually though he recovered enough to send Robin a look and hiss under his breath, "Traitor."

Robin just smiled back, un-phased. Despite his efforts to make the arguing stop, he was tempted to point out that at the end of the movie Hercules and Meg fall in love. That would be sure to set off more fireworks.

"What about you Robin?" M'gann asked curiously, "Do you have a favorite?"

Robin tilted his head as though he were considering the question. In reality, he was simply trying to decide if he should answer or not. Batman had forbidden him from revealing his identity to his teammates, though Wally already knew. He would probably be against it, claim it revealed too much about his life. And maybe it did, but…

The team wouldn't know that.

So after a brief, expectant silence he answered with, "Definitely 'The Lion King'."

His friends' expressions varied from confused (M'gann), to surprised (Wally), to indifferent (Conner).

Again it was the Martian who spoke up. "I don't believe I have seen that one," she confessed, "What is it about?"

Robin gave a small sigh, "It's about this lion named Simba. When he's just a cub, he watches his father fall from a cliff and die. It was his uncle that did it but Simba is convinced it was really his fault and he leaves his old life behind. Along the way he runs into two unlikely guardians and learns to put his past behind him. In the end he learns the truth, defeats his uncle, and builds a new life as king with his pride."

The room seemed awkwardly quiet for a moment after his explanation and he noticed that Wally was studying him thoughtfully. Robin realized that quite a few parts of the story hit close to home- a parent falling, it being a murder, two slightly strange caretakers- and he wondered if any of that had somehow shown through in his voice.

Artemis' eyes narrowed slightly, "Why exactly do you like it so much?" The suspicion in her voice was well concealed. Unless, of course, you were a Bat.

Robin knew he had to tread carefully here. Artemis was from Gotham, she no doubt had heard of his alter-ego. And Batman had mentioned something about her receiving a scholarship to Gotham Academy…

He grinned and said, "The Hyenas." Thus ended the conversation and started another argument between the archer and the speedster about which African mammal was the coolest.

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I've seen a lot of fics where Dick is traumatized at the scene where Mufasa dies. Quite a few of them are really good, and I have nothing against it; but I thought it would be interesting to switch it up and have it as his favorite. There _are _some striking similarities. Also, I've never seen Tron so I don't know if it's good or not. I just needed a newer Disney movie that might interest Wally. I'll try not to wait so long before I update again. Hope you liked it.


	2. St Patrick's Day

I know it's a little past the holiday, but I've had this idea for a while. And it works so much better with the team than just Dick and Wally. So here you go.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

St. Patrick's Day

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"WALLY!"

It wasn't the first time the team had woken hearing the speedster's name screamed. In fact it happened at least three times a week; or four if he was feeling restless. Sometimes he wouldn't even have been staying overnight at the mountain. It was like he would just wake up in the middle of the night and decide he wanted to play a prank.

Usually it was the most recent addition to their team that would fall victim. But something about the anger-filled shout was different this time.

Slowly the team's heads began to poke out of their rooms, curious and confused.

First it was M'gann with her red hair rumpled and messy, a hint of concern in her eyes. Then it was Kaldur who was usually already up when these things happened. Then it was Conner who looked vaguely annoyed that the wake-up call had come two hours earlier than normal. And finally came Artemis, who seemed just as surprised as the others that she wasn't the target this time.

That only left…

"Wally! I swear I am going to kill you!"

Robin.

"What do you think he did?" M'gann asked looking more concerned than before. Robin was typically very sweet and patient; it took a lot to make him lose his temper. And most of the time he simply ignored Wally's antics.

Before anyone could answer the young Martian's question, a loud squawking noise filled the hallway and something streaked by in a blur.

"Get back here, Coward!" the youngest's voice followed after it. "I chase down the worst scum Gotham has to offer every night! Don't think I won't catch you!"

It was then that he rounded the corner.

His whole body was tense and stiff as he stalked after his supposed best friend, hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He was surprisingly still in his pajamas, sweatpants and an extra large Batman t-shirt that came almost to his knees. It looked like he had put on his sunglasses as an afterthought as they were slightly askew. His face was set in a scowl so dark it rivaled anything they'd seen from his mentor. And his hair…

His hair had been dyed bright orange.

The team watched in silence as he marched by, not sparing them a glance, and disappeared into the common room.

"Guess we know what he did now," Conner spoke up after a minute or two.

Artemis smirked looking pleased as she said, "I'd hate to be in Kid Idiot's shoes with a vengeful Bat on the warpath." Her words were punctuated when a resounding crash echoed throughout the mountain.

Kaldur sighed wearily, "I suppose we should go make certain they do not destroy anything important."

"Or at least that they don't hurt each other," M'gann chewed her bottom lip fretfully.

Artemis looked practically giddy as she walked down the hall tying her hair up, "Oh Wally will definitely be hurt before this is over. He might get away with some of the things he does to me; but you can be sure that Robin isn't going to let him off so easily."

Artemis was at the front of the pack when they found their missing teammates, the others more wary of what they would find.

Robin had cornered Wally in the kitchen where two of the counters met. His stance was deadly serious and he was clutching a batarang in each hand, leaving the team to wonder where he had gotten them from. He looked about a second away from jumping the older teen.

Wally had the look of a cornered animal, eyes darting, jittering nervously. He was practically cowering as he held his hands out in a placating manner. "E-easy, R-rob," he said shakily, "It was j-just a j-joke."

Though Robin's eyes couldn't be seen, it was obvious they had narrowed dangerously. "You have thirty seconds to explain to me _why_ you thought it would be a good idea to color my hair as ridiculously as yours," he hissed through his teeth.

Wally audibly gulped and tugged at his sleeves. "Well," he managed to get a hold on his stuttering, "It's kind of St. Patrick's Day, and I thought… well you're kind of, um… sho- well, not short exactly… you're just… not tall?"

Robin just raised an eyebrow, "Twelve seconds left."

"I just thought you'd make a better leprechaun than Artemis!" he blurted. He seemed to realize what he'd said and his eyes became impossibly wide.

Artemis snorted and had to cover her mouth to keep from outright laughing and ruining the moment. M'gann, Conner, and Kaldur seemed a bit uncertain about how to react; they were wondering more about what a leprechaun was and why it would be insulting.

Robin didn't move or say anything for a good ten seconds. Then he straightened into an almost relaxed position and lifted his shirt enough to reveal his utility belt strapped to his waist. He replaced his batarangs and pulled something else from one of the many pockets.

Wally paled and looked faint, wondering what his friend would do next.

But in his hand Robin held a green rubber band, which he pulled onto his wrist. He calmly cracked his knuckles and considered the fearful speedster.

"Alright, Wally," he said in a strangely cheerful tone, "If that's how you want to play it…" He somersaulted forward and back so fast the team had hardly registered him moving at all; jumping up in front of Wally and appearing in the same spot he'd been standing in before.

He smirked mischievously as he held something up in his right hand. A small green button that had been pinned to Wally's shirt.

"No green on St. Patrick's Day, Wally?" he asked, his smirk becoming a sly smile. He tossed the pin to Artemis without even looking at her and tilted his head to the side. "Now that's just asking to be pinched."

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There you have. Hope it was okay.


	3. Asterous Dictionary

This one is a request from randomkitty101. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Not in any way mine.

Asterous Dictionary

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Conner was busying himself lifting weights in the gym when Wally found him.

He had heard the speedster's quickened pace two hallways away and had silently hoped he would pass by. Of all the members on the team, Wally was the one that tried the most patience. Even M'gann had been known to ditch him when he became too flirtatious. She'd once gone so far as to turn invisible and leave him to bug Robin, though she had felt quite guilty afterwards.

All Conner wanted was a little time to himself to work out some issues he'd been having… mainly concerning Superman's consistent shunning of him. But as Wally's steps drew nearer, he had a feeling his quiet time was about to become the exact opposite.

As predicted, Wally's voice was working before he'd even gotten the door fully open.

"Hey, Conner," he sounded about one speed setting away from unintelligible words, "You had it last didn't you? M'gann said you did but she wasn't sure and I really need it because he made another one and I don't want to forget it." He paused to take a breath and looked at the clone expectantly, "So where is it? You do have it right?"

Conner set the weights back on the bars over his head and sat up to raise an eyebrow at the redhead. "What exactly am I supposed to have?"

"The book, man," Wally gestured impatiently, "Do you have it or not?"

Wordlessly Conner reached into his back pocket and pulled out a notebook. It didn't appear to be anything special; small and thin with tiny birds decorating the front. He handed it to Wally and crossed his arms.

"Another one?" he questioned in his usual disinterested tone, "What is it this time?"

Wally sighed as he pulled a pencil from behind his ear and opened to a page nearly halfway through the book. "I don't know… I found him in the garage tinkering with his bike and we started talking about something like quantum physics. Then, out of nowhere, he says something about 'uncouth' meaning rude so would 'couth' mean sweet?"

The speedster had barely finished his explanation when M'gann came floating in looking slightly confused. "Wally, Conner," she greeted, her expression brightening a bit. She landed in front of them and glanced over her shoulder with a little frown.

"Is 'couth' a word?" she questioned hesitantly.

"No," they answered at the same time.

"Oh," the Martian looked relieved, "I guess that's a new one for the book then."

"Yeah, we know," Wally informed her, "He tested it out on me first. How did he use it with you?"

M'gann tilted her head to the side and looked thoughtful. "Well I was sitting in the common room fixing one of Conner's shirts from our last mission. Then he came up to me and said I was the… 'couthest' person he knew because of all the things I do when I don't have to." She sighed, "I'm still trying to figure out what he meant."

"Basically," Wally explained with a dashing smile, "he said you were sweet. Totally true."

"Oh," she smiled shyly, "that was very… um, 'couth' of him?"

"Hey guys," they were interrupted when Artemis stuck her head in the door; "Canary's our den mother today. She wants to go over some new offensive moves."

"Cool," Wally grinned tossing the notebook onto a nearby bench, "I just downed two bags of Pixie Stix and a case of Mountain Dew. I have got energy to burn." He zoomed past the Martian and the archer and called back, "You guys coming?"

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hey, Rob!"

The young acrobat turned to see his best friend leaning out of the common room entrance. Aside from sparring with Black Canary, Robin hadn't gotten any training done that day and had been on his way to the gym. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed that Wally was shirtless and had a beach towel hanging from his neck.

"The rest of us were about to hit the water," the speedster said, "You interested?"

Robin pursed his lips thoughtfully, glancing between the empty hall to the gym and his friend. Batman probably wouldn't be too happy if he kept putting his training off, but he wanted to hang with his team too…

"Give me half an hour," he decided.

Wally smirked and made a big show of setting the timer on his watch. "You're on the clock," he warned, "If you aren't outside in thirty minutes flat… I'm comin' in to get you."

Robin rolled his eyes though he knew Wally couldn't see it. Then he continued on to the gym as his team disappeared outside.

He had been in there for about ten minutes and was unwrapping the tape from his hands when he saw it.

A small notebook lying on the bench beside him. It seemed to have been hurriedly tossed there as the cover had opened up. Robin frowned when he saw his name on the first page.

Normally he wouldn't touch one of his teammates' personal belongings without permission; but this time his curiosity got the best of him.

He glanced around the room to see if he was really alone, checked his watch to make sure he had enough time before Wally came to get him, and then carefully picked up the book.

He raised an eyebrow as he saw the title page: _Robin's Asterous Dictionary_. But as he flipped through the pages, he couldn't help but smile.

Every word he'd ever messed with was written there, along with definitions. From the very first one- whelmed: the happy medium between overwhelmed and underwhelmed- to his most recent on- couth: sweet, kind, lovable (best word so far to describe Rob himself).

Robin was slightly… well, 'over'whelmed. He had thought his friends just ignored him when he used his wordplay. That they thought it was silly and pointless. But here they were; keeping a record of it.

He set the book down just the way he had found it and left the room.

Not three minutes later he was outside in the warm sunlight, dressed for swimming, and coming up behind his friends. He threw his arms around Wally and Kaldur's shoulders since they were the closest to him.

"Rob!" Wally grinned, surprised. He glanced at his watch and raised a questioning eyebrow, "You weren't supposed to be out here for another fifteen minutes at least. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Robin assured him. He looked at the rest of his friends and gave them all a blinding smile, "I just wanted to tell you… I think you guys put the 're' in 'remarkable'."

He noticed the look they exchanged and figured that would be another one for the book.

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There you are. Hope it lived up to what you had in mind Kitty. ;D


	4. Then There Were None

Disclaimer: Owner? Not me.

Then There Were None

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Robin regarded the rundown mansion he and his friends were investigating with a critical eye.

It was big- huge, in fact- probably over fifty rooms. Abandoned for a long time if the overgrowth, cracks, and mold were any indication. It was located in a clearing, without a path of any kind leading through the sea of vegetation around it. Like someone had built it for the very purpose of isolating themselves from all humanity.

The team was… in the middle of nowhere, really. And they were supposed to…

Robin frowned slightly and searched his brain. He couldn't remember what they were doing here. Or where _here_ was specifically.

That was strange.

Robin put a hand to his head and tried to find the information that should have been there. Batman must have given them an objective, a reason for being here. He couldn't have fallen asleep in the bioship and forgotten, right?

For a moment he felt close to panicking. What if this was another Bialya? Where were his teammates? Were they alright? Had they forgotten too?

He reached up to activate his comm. to check on them.

"The area appears to be clear," Aqualad's voice spoke in his ear before he could get a word out. "Let us regroup at the servant's entrance on the west side of the building."

Their leader's words had the same calming tone that always seemed present. No confusion, no nervousness…

So why did something feel wrong to Robin?

He couldn't put a finger on it, but something just wasn't right. It was like something was nagging at the back of his head. Something about his and Batman's last patrol that he should know.

But what affect could a _Gotham_ patrol have on a team mission in what looked like the southern wilderness?

He frowned and jumped out of the tree he had been perched in, landing silently on the ground. Another thought began troubling him as he made his way to the rendezvous point. Why hadn't Aqualad contacted them through the mind link? They never used the comm. units unless they were contacting the League or Miss Martian was hurt. He didn't think that was the case…

No, his eyebrows furrowed as he made it to the side entrance. Miss Martian was floating an inch or two from the ground beside Artemis.

Robin sighed as his confusion mounted, stepping out of the shadows. He was the last one to arrive and figured Kid Flash would make some crack about it. He was _never_ the last one anywhere.

But the speedster didn't say a word, which in itself was cause for concern. An emotionless expression was normal for Superboy, but it was disconcerting to see that he wasn't the only one wearing a blank mask. Extremely heavy on the 'dis'.

"Guys?" he said uncertainly as he came to stand beside the team's archer, "What's, uh… what's going on?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Aqualad spoke. "We have determined all we can from the outside," he said before turning to Superboy, "What can you tell us to expect inside?"

The clone briefly squinted his eyes and tilted his head. "Nothing," he said shortly.

Aqualad nodded and moved to go inside followed closely by the others. Maybe they had already discussed what they would do before Robin got there? But shouldn't they have informed him if they had? They'd never just brushed him off like that before.

What was going on?

He blinked a few times and started walking after them. Before he knew it they were at the base of a stairway in what must have been the entrance hall. It looked familiar somehow, but Robin couldn't understand why. He was so distracted trying to figure it out that he almost ran into Superboy.

"Here is where we split up," Aqualad announced, "Kid flash, you can cover the east side of the first floor. Superboy, the west. Miss Martian, phase through the ceiling to the attic. Artemis, check for a basement. It looks like there is a third floor, I'll take that. That leaves the second to you, Robin."

The others nodded and were about to go to their assigned spots, but Robin eyes widened.

"Wait, what?" he asked disbelievingly, "You want us to split up individually?"

"Is that a problem?" the Atlantean still showed no emotion and it was beginning to freak the young acrobat out.

"Yes it's a problem!" Robin nearly shouted. Normally he tried not to question Aqualad's decisions as leader. He'd made the unanimous vote with everyone else to follow his friend, and he didn't want to be a hypocrite by undermining his authority. But this… he couldn't help it for this.

"What's the problem?" Artemis asked crossing her arms, though her face didn't change.

Robin glared at her, "The problem is we're about to search an enormous house we've never been in before without blueprints or even a computer outlet for me to plug into. If one of runs into something we can't handle the others won't know where to go. Do we even know what we're supposed to be looking for?"

"Dude, overreact much?" Kid Flash said in a flat tone.

"It will be alright, Robin," Miss Martian didn't even offer a reassuring smile before rising up a disappearing through the ceiling.

The others turned away to begin searching their designated spots, leaving Robin gaping after them. They had just left him… they didn't even listen to what he had to say. He'd been doing this longer than any of them and yet they were treating him like… like he was a child.

"This isn't right," he whispered to the empty room. The feeling that something was very wrong was back again, twisting his stomach in knots. But there was nothing he could think of to explain what was going on.

He frowned and looked over his shoulder at the ornate front doors, aged and rusted shut. He had definitely seen them somewhere before…

Maybe if he found out what this place was, who it belonged to, he could figure out why everything seemed so out of whack. With that thought in mind he moved swiftly up the stairs and found himself in a long hallway with numerous doors, old vases, and artwork lining the walls with thick curtains keeping them hidden. He tilted his head slightly and narrowed his eyes.

The sight of the hall brought the tugging sensation of dread to his chest. He cautiously approached the first of the covered artwork and lifted the corner of the torn rug that concealed it. The picture itself had been sliced by something sharp, the lines too oddly shaped to have been an ordinary knife. But he recognized the frame, however dusty and tarnished it may be.

But it couldn't be what he thought… this place?

Robin glanced to his left and his eyes zeroed in on one door in particular. There was only one way he could be sure of where he was. He felt his heart quicken as he approached the door, which was slightly ajar. His breath became rapid as he reached up to push on the rotting wood.

It creaked loudly on rusty hinges and opened into a spacious room. A broken window directly across from him illuminated everything with filtered moonlight. One look was all it took for a breathless gasp to escape him.

It had barely left his throat when he heard a sound that made his blood run cold. Screams… achingly familiar screams.

"Wally!" he shouted desperately as he dashed to the end of the hall, away from the stairs. He didn't even care if they were in costume. He had to get to his friend… and he knew where he'd find him.

Robin had hardly made it into the study when he heard the screams of his other teammates. Every last one of them.

He ran for all he was worth to the grandfather clock prominently on display. He reached through the broken glass door to pull the gently swaying pendulum. The clock opened outwards from the wall and he practically dived into the elevator.

He was halfway down when the screams stopped and his heart nearly stopped with them.

"No!" he cried pounding on the walls as the elevator creaked and groaned. "No you can't stop!" he tried to reason with the machinery, "Wally! M'gann! Guys, I'm coming! Just hold on!"

The doors finally opened and he rushed out into an almost complete darkness. He didn't need light to know what was there though; and he ran full out, calling to his team. "Conner! Artemis! Answer me! Please!" He could see a dim light coming from the area he had trained in many times before.

"Kaldur?!" he choked out desperately, "Please, please be unconscious…"

He turned the last corner and froze with wide horrified eyes when he saw what waited for him…

"No," was all he managed to gasp as he stumbled back a step.

There, lying on the tattered, moldy training mats were six wooden coffins. They were crudely made and rough with splinters. Each had a name written on the covers propped against them…

And all but one was occupied.

From this angle he could barely see his friends' faces. But he could tell they were far too pale to be healthy. They were no longer expressionless either. Even with their eyes closed, they looked completely terrified.

Robin lifted trembling hands to grasp his hair as he shook his head. "No," he repeated, "No, this can't be happening. Not again…" He couldn't lose another family.

"But it is," a voice rasped behind him.

Robin's eyes filled with tears at the sound, as familiar as the room that had given their location away. He felt like his legs would give out any second. He kept repeating over and over in his head that this wasn't happening. The person he trusted most in the world couldn't betray him like this.

"But he did," the voice came again, close to his ear, as if it had heard his thoughts. "And now," it continued in the soft tone that was only ever used with him, "it's your turn."

Robin's head shot up as the strong arms that he had once found so comforting wrapped around him in a death grip.

"No!"

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Robin thrashed and yelled as he tried to get away but the hands holding him down were like steel. The grip wasn't crushing or even painful, but no matter how hard he struggled he couldn't break free. He could feel a few sobs mixing in with his screams as he thought about his impending fate.

Killed by the only man he felt he could ever love on the same level as his father.

As his resistance was replaced with hopelessness he became aware of the numerous worried voices calling his name. But it wasn't possible to be hearing them, was it? Not after what he'd seen…

"Robin? Wake up, Robin. You're safe," the concern and fear in M'gann's voice was practically tangible.

_Wake up?_ Robin thought with mingled confusion and relief. It explained why nothing had made sense; but it had felt so real.

He forced his eyes open and could just make out his teammates forms, though his vision was blurred by sleep and tears. Conner was the one holding him still and the rest were clustered around the bed looking a little freaked out. His hand rose to his face, out of reflex, and he felt the wrinkled fabric of his mask. Wally had probably made it to him first and thought to put it on.

"Dude," the speedster sat on the edge of the bed to hide the way his body was vibrating slightly, "I know this is a pretty dumb question but… are you okay?"

Robin let out a shaky breath and let Conner help him sit up. He took a moment to collect himself before answering with, "I'm fine now… I think."

"Mind telling us what all that was about?" Artemis crossed her arms trying to act like it hadn't affected her, but she couldn't hide the fact she'd been shaken up.

Robin frowned in thought. He remembered something from the beginning of his dream. Something about patrol…

"The copycat," he murmured to himself.

"What?" M'gann asked looking confused.

"He said 'The copycat'," Conner informed them. This did little to ease the team's confusion and they exchanged baffled looks.

Robin sighed and ran a hand through his hair, grimacing a little when it came back covered with sweat. "The past week Gotham's been having trouble with a copycat Scarecrow. B and I caught up with him last night, got him behind bars. But… I guess I must've inhaled some of his altered gas," he rubbed his face and sighed again, "Stronger stuff than we thought."

"Do you believe it has passed through your system now?" Aqualad questioned, still looking concerned. It was much better than the emotionless zombies from his dream.

"Probably," Robin reassured them, "It was stronger than we thought, but it wasn't anything close to the real thing."

"It sounded pretty real to me," Wally said with a frown, "Rob, you know you scared me half to death screaming my name like that. I thought… it sounded like you were being tortured or something."

"Yeah," one of the rare times Artemis would agree with the redhead, "We were all up at that, and then you started screaming our names too. What happened in your dream?"

Robin's brow furrowed and he bit his lip; M'gann, noticing his discomfort stepped forward and put a hand on his arm. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to, Robin," she said gently, "It must have been quite horrible to have that much of an effect on you."

Robin looked up and gave the Martian a small smile, "Thanks, M'gann, it's okay though. I just… we were splitting up and… no one would listen when I thought it was a bad idea. Then I heard you guys screaming and… there were these coffins and…" he swallowed and shook his head.

His friends didn't say anything; they just sat with him for a moment. M'gann kept her hand on his arm and Wally held one of his hands. The silence was comfortable for nearly five minutes before being broken by the speedster.

"You know I kind of don't think we're going back to sleep," he said thoughtfully. After a second he grinned and tilted his head, "Anyone for pancakes?"

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So I did this one for BloodyBlackBlossom in response to a request. Hope everyone liked it (and hope you were kind of confused at the beginning ;D). Definitely the most serious one I've done for this fic. If there are any mistakes please just try to ignore them. It's late and I don't feel like proofreading.


	5. Silence is Golden

Disclaimer: I do not own this… seriously.

Silence is Golden… Where'd That Duct Tape Go?

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"Aaaggghhh!"

Robin winced at the sound of Artemis' aggravated… well, screeching was the only way to describe it. Though she probably wouldn't appreciate that choice of word.

The Boy Wonder had been at the mountain for no more than ten minutes and he was already regretting his decision to come. There had been a nasty bug going around the Academy for the past two weeks. And like a fool, he'd thought he could ride it out without actually catching it. He should have known it was wishful thinking. Especially since Babs had been sneezing her head off three days now in his direct vicinity.

It had started out as a tickle in his throat at the beginning of the day and progressed from there. His chest felt tight, his sinuses were clogged, and his head couldn't seem to decide if it wanted to pulse with stabbing pain or stuff itself with cotton. And of course no pill on this green earth was willing to work.

Common sense told him he should just go home and sleep it off. But he had already planned to spend his weekend at the mountain in the hopes that Bruce would actually get some of the paperwork he'd been putting off done; and so he couldn't use being distracted by a certain young acrobat as an excuse. And besides that Alfred had been looking a little under the weather himself, no use in adding to his workload.

So there Robin sat, scowling at the ceiling and trying to block out the sound of the archer and the speedster's bickering. Not very successfully, as they were now making their way to the common room.

"I am not in the mood, Wally," Artemis was loudly making known, "So unless you're anxious to find out what one of my boots tastes like I suggest you leave me alone!"

Wally snorted as they entered the room, "Please. You'd have to catch up to me before you could even _try _to get a hit in." Despite his bravado he was sure to stand out of the blonde's reach. He turned his head and caught sight of his best friend sitting alone on the couch. In half a second he was standing in front of Robin.

"Dude, you've gotta take my side on this," he said waving his hands in an irritated sort of way. Robin wasn't sure if he'd actually screamed the words or if his headache had started amplifying noises, but it was all he could do to bite back a groan.

"Sure, Wally, whatever," he breathed messaging his temple with one hand.

"There, you see," Wally gestured to their young friend, "Rob knows I'm right without even having to ask what we're talking about."

Robin snorted at the word 'talking' and immediately wished he hadn't. Not only did it hurt, but it also brought a horrible itching sensation to his nose and he resorted to holding his breath in an attempt to stop the oncoming sneeze.

He had to be discreet about this whole 'illness' thing. He did not want foreign, alien, and Atlantean remedies… now or ever.

Artemis had joined them and was leaning against the back of the couch with her arms crossed. She rolled her eyes, "He's probably just saying that to get you to shut up," she retorted.

_I'll say whatever you want if you both shut up_, he grumbled internally. There was complete silence after that and it took Robin a moment to realize he'd actually said that out loud. His teammates were blinking at him in shock, their mouths slightly agape.

_Oh great_, he made sure that one was kept to himself. Any other day he would probably say sorry or make some witty comment; today though he couldn't bring himself to care. He kept his face completely neutral as he stood up, shove his hands in his jacket pockets, and left the room.

As soon as he was out of sight he sighed heavily and let his forehead drop into one of his hands. He knew he'd be apologizing later, but for now he needed someplace dark and quiet.

The team's youngest made his way through the halls stopping briefly outside his room and then continuing on. That was too obvious a place to look for him. And he had no doubt that Wally and Artemis would be doing that before long. The only time they seemed willing to put aside their differences was when Robin was involved.

He didn't really know why… well for Artemis he didn't. Wally had been his best friend for a long time and he always got defensive where the acrobat was concerned. He was practically an older brother. And after Roy had pretty much left them hanging, he had become a bit more protective than before. Like he was afraid Robin would leave him too if he didn't keep an extra watchful eye out.

But for Artemis he was less certain of the exact reason. After the incident with the Reds they'd been pretty close. And she had watched him almost drown so… maybe that had something to do with it?

The sound of boxes toppling echoed through the hall as Robin passed their resident Martian's room. He groaned and grabbed his hair, waiting for his eyeballs to stop vibrating in his skull. Already regretting it, he made his way to M'gann's room. Someone should check to make sure she hadn't concussed herself accidently.

The door was open and Robin stuck his head in to see a pile of cardboard boxes lying on the floor. His green friend was nowhere to be seen and he frowned in worry.

"M'gann?" he called softly. It was the loudest he could speak without his scratchy voice and congestion becoming obvious.

The boxes shifted in response and soon M'gann had faded through them and was hovering over the heap. She looked a little dizzy and was holding her head, but after a moment she got her bearings, saw her fellow team member, and smiled brightly. "Hello, Robin," she greeted landing in front of him, "How are you?"

"I'm… fine," he said cautiously, eyebrows furrowing, "I heard a crash. Are you alright?"

"Oh that," M'gann shrugged and gestured to the boxes, "I was practicing my telekinesis with these boxes I found in a storage room. I was going to do it in the gym, but Conner is in there and… well," she blushed and brushed her hair back sheepishly, "I was afraid I would get distracted."

"Oh," Robin nodded then tried to hide the wince that caused by asking, "What made you drop them?" She bit her lip, blushing harder than before and Robin couldn't help but smile a little. "Right, I got it," he assured her ready to leave, "You're sure you're not hurt?"

The young alien smiled sweetly, "I'm perfectly fine. Thank you, Robin."

He shrugged and headed back down the hall. Grimacing as he walked, he rubbed a hand on his chest. It felt tighter than before and it was getting harder to breath evenly. He really wanted to lie down and just rest his eyes for a few hours. But where could he go to do that besides his room?

Robin turned a corner in the hall and bumped right into someone walking the other way. Normally that would elicit no more than a grunt of surprise, but this time it left him feeling like he had full-out run into a brick wall rather than Kaldur. The Atlantean was surprised enough when he hadn't heard Robin coming that he didn't seem to notice how out of breath his young friend was.

"Robin," he greeted with his usual polite smile, "How are you feeling this day?"

_Like crap_, he thought miserably but was careful not to say. Instead he smiled, "Can't complain, Kal. Not visiting Atlantis this weekend?"

"I thought it would be a nice change to spend my free time with the team," their leader said. Robin thought he saw a hint of sadness in Kaldur's eyes and wondered if there was another reason he wasn't visiting his home.

"I was just about to take a walk down the beach," Kaldur continued conversationally, "Would you care to join me?"

The thought of going outside in the bright, hot sunlight was enough to make Robin's head spin. "Nah," he tried not to sound like he was about to be sick, "I was thinking I'd head to the library… do some studying for a test coming up Monday." Now that he said it, that wasn't such a bad idea. The library part anyway. It had couches, it was quiet… and Wally never liked to set foot inside unless it was absolutely necessary.

"Very well," Kaldur nodded giving him another small smile, "Enjoy your reading."

Robin sighed in relief when his friend disappeared from sight and ran the back of his hand across his forehead. He was starting to sweat now. _Just great_.

He shifted his glasses to rub at his eyes and turned in the direction of the library, almost on automatic. He had barely taken three steps before he ran into someone else. He knew it was Conner just from the fact that, in his weakened state, this bump had knocked him over.

"Ow," he moaned rubbing the back of his head once he had reclaimed his feet. He glanced at the clone and offered a small smile, "Been working out a lot today, huh Supes?"

Conner stared at him for a moment, face impassive as ever, before simply stating, "You're sick."

Robin couldn't fully hide his surprise as he raised an eyebrow, "Scuse me?"

"You're sweating, your pulse is racing, and you sound like you recently finished eating a box of nails," he sounded unimpressed with the lame attempt at diversion, "You're sick."

Robin sighed, "It's nothing, just a little bug. It'll be gone bef- whoa!"

His sentence was cut short as Conner lifted him up bridle style and started carrying him to his bedroom.

"Conner!" he protested, trying unsuccessfully to get down, "What… What are doing?! Come on, put me down! Conner!" Every word shouted killed both his throat and his head but he was more concerned with his dignity at the moment.

"Forget it," Conner said, "You're going to bed if I have to tie you down to keep you there."

Robin's glare was nowhere near as strong as it would've been if he weren't so sick. "I could get out of it even if you did," he said. Conner ignored him and he struggled uselessly once again, "Look, fine! I'll go with you… willingly! Please, will you put me down?!"

"I fail to see the point in that," the clone raised a single eyebrow, "You're room is right there."

Robin huffed and crossed his arms, mumbling, "If it's right there why can't I just walk?"

Again Conner ignored him and entered the room. He'd just deposited the boy on the bed when Wally zipped to peek around the doorframe.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked with a frown, "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Artemis put in coming up behind the speedster, "Kal said he could hear Boy Wonder squawking from outside."

Robin scowled at her, mood worsening by the second. Kaldur frowned at her too as he made an appearance, "I do not believe those were my exact words, Artemis."

She shrugged, "Screaming, squawking… same thing aren't they?"

"You wouldn't say that if we were talking about you," Robin muttered. M'gann was the next to pop up, face creased with concern.

"What was all of that about? Is someone hurt?"

Conner crossed his arms and indicated the youngest with his head, "Robin's sick."

That was all he needed to say.

Immediately the others were talking all at once about what his symptoms were and the best remedies for it. Kaldur said something about squid guts and fish scales and other things that made Robin nauseas before leaving the doorway. Artemis was gone soon after for various spices to clear his congestion right up. Wally rattled off a whole list of comfort foods in speed-talk that were bound to make the acrobat feel better. And M'gann remembered a mixture of things from Mars and Earth shows that might be worth a shot, then she left with a 'Hello, Megan' and a 'Be right back'.

Soon Conner was the only one left with the sick bird and he was staring at the door with a slightly overwhelmed expression. After a moment of complete silence Robin finally gave into the urge to cough. When he was finished he leaned back into his pillows and looked at the clone beside his bed.

"You see _that_," Robin dead-panned, "is what I was trying to avoid." He let his head fall back and closed his eyes. "Why didn't I go home when I had the chance?"

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That one was a lot of fun to write ;P. Hope it was just as fun for you to read!


	6. The One Day It's Expected

Disclaimer: Borrowing is fun, don't you think?

The One Day It's Expected

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"Artemis?" The archer jumped at the sound of her name and turned her head to see M'gann looking at her with furrowed eyebrows. She had been so caught up in her 'mission' that she hadn't noticed anyone approaching. Her dad would have been disappointed.

"What are you doing? If you don't mind my asking…" the young Martian inquired hesitantly. She looked uncertain if she really wanted to know the answer but her curiosity had gotten the best of her.

Artemis pursed her lips thoughtfully. She supposed she did look a bit suspicious standing in the shadows of the hallway and peeking around the door to the common room. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized she'd let her attention be averted for what could be a second too long. She quickly sunk back against the wall and peered around the doorframe.

Sighing when she saw her target hadn't moved she whispered back to her friend, "I'm spying on Wally."

There was a short silence behind her before M'gann answered, confusion evident in her voice. "May I… ask why?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes, still focused on the speedster sitting sprawled on the couch. "Because I _know _he has something up his sleeves and I will _not _be the butt of whatever joke he's going to pull."

"Oh," M'gann said then paused before… "I'm sorry, I still do not understand. Wally makes a lot of jokes every day. Why is today special?"

"Right, you probably don't have it on Mars," Artemis mumbled to herself. She glanced briefly over her shoulder to explain, "On Earth we have… a holiday of sorts, that always falls on the first of April."

"A holiday?" M'gann smiled, clasping her hands in excitement, "What is this holiday for? Should I bake something in celebration?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow and pondered it for a few seconds. A smirk played on her lips as she considered directing the green-skinned girl in cooking a 'traditional' dish for the day. It could involve any number of ingredients to make the enemy's stomach crawl and M'gann would never know the difference. Not to mention, Wally would eat it without question coming from her.

Artemis shook herself of her thoughts and, taking one look at her friend's eager expression, decided not to deceive her. She would think of some other way to get back at Wally should he try anything.

She turned her attention back to the common area to see that the other redhead hadn't moved. Then she answered, "It's called April Fool's Day."

M'gann tilted her head, looking interested, "And what does one do to celebrate it?"

"They prank each other," Artemis replied.

"Pranks?" her friend looked up in thought, "You mean like when Wally put that bucket of water over Robin's door?"

Artemis snorted, "Wasn't a very good one considering Robin found it and put it over Wally's door. Kid Idiot should have known better than to try anything after that hair-dying incident."

M'gann nodded in understanding, "But dying Robin's hair… that was a successful prank?"

Artemis grinned. "Sure, I mean he did pull it off. Doubt he thought it was very 'successful' though," she said making air quotes. "Anyway," she continued her explanation of how the day worked, "after you prank someone on this day, you say 'April Fool's' and… well that's pretty much it."

"Is it fun?" M'gann asked.

Artemis shrugged, "It can be I guess. Unless you're dealing with someone like Wally who doesn't need an excuse to prank any _other_ day of the week. I can't even imagine what he'll do now that he's got this golden opportunity."

M'gann stepped forward to watch their object of conversation along with the archer. She frowned slightly, "Has he even moved at all today?"

Artemis scowled in irritation. "No," she practically growled, "I don't get why. It's almost like he's waiting for somethi-"

Her sentence was cut off as the mountain's sound system announced the arrival of Robin. Wally immediately perked up and turned his head to watch the common room's other entrance.

"Or someone," Artemis rephrased her thought. She groaned as the team's youngest member walked over to join Wally on the couch. She couldn't hear anything they were saying, but they were obviously discussing something. And whatever it was…

"What's wrong?" M'gann asked, concerned at Artemis' barely audible moan.

"What's wrong is that the only thing worse than a plotting speedster…" Artemis huffed, "Is a plotting speedster with a crafty bird to help him."

M'gann frowned, "You think Robin is going to help Wally prank you? He always seems to prefer to stay out of your… disagreements."

"Yeah, usually," Artemis said, "But today is April Fool's and Wally is his best friend. If he's going to team up with anyone for pranking mayhem, it'll be Kid Mouth." She watched as Wally leaned in closer to whisper something and then set her jaw. She refused to take her eyes off of them until the day was good and done with.

"They are not getting the drop on me," she swore to herself.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Hey, Wally."

The redhead smiled a little as his best friend strolled into the common area; shades on, hands in his pockets, looking for all the world like it was just another day and nothing was bothering him.

Wally knew for a fact that wasn't the case. Robin always struggled this time of year... especially today. He put up a pretty good front that might've been believed by those who didn't know his true identity. But everyone who knew could see right through it.

"How's your day been going?" Wally asked conversationally as the younger boy sat down beside him.

Robin shrugged, staring at the blank TV. "It's been okay I guess," he replied turning his head to give the speedster a small smile, "No emotional breakdowns or anything."

"Well that's always good to hear," Wally smirked. He became serious a moment later, "You go to see them yet?"

Robin nodded, "Bats took me a little after breakfast. He stayed for awhile but…" the bird sighed, trying to hide his disappointment, "He had to leave for a meeting."

Wally raised an eyebrow in surprise, "A meeting? Seriously?" It didn't sound like something his friend's mentor would do. Especially not to Robin. He'd move mountains for the kid if he had to… or if it were physically possible.

"Well it _is _with Lex Luthor, so…" Robin allowed.

Now both of Wally's eyebrows were nearly to his hairline. "Luthor?" he said in disbelief. He took a quick glance around before leaning in to whisper, "I wouldn't think Wayne Enterprises would do business with a major villain."

Robin gave him a pointed look, "Why do you think he had to take care of it personally?"

Oh… he probably wanted to make sure none of his employees got into Luthor's pocket by making a deal. Only way to insure that was to be there. Made since.

Still though…

"He didn't want you to wait around or something?" Wally asked hesitantly, "I mean… I'm guessing you'd rather be with him right now."

Robin shook his head, "Nah, I don't mind being here. Besides it isn't safe to hang around Gotham when B's in the beginning stages of conferences with Big, Bald and Snooty. Don't want to give them something to use as persuasion."

Wally was outright gaping now, "What… You're not saying… Has he ever…" the older teen lowered his voice again, "Has he ever grabbed you before? As… _you_?"

"Personally no," Robin said as though it were no big deal, "But he's had me… 'collected' once or twice. Superman found me both times… no surprise there. We never could legally connect him though."

Wally felt like he should say something else about it, but he really had no response to how nonchalant Robin was concerning the whole thing. So he changed the subject.

"You could've stayed with the Temperamental Mother Hen," he pointed out. Wally's nickname for the Commissioner's daughter always made Robin smile. The speedster had only met her a few times but he thought she was pretty okay. He found it amusing that she never asked how the ward of Gotham's richest man was friends with the nephew of a forensic scientist from Central City.

"She has a gymnastics competition today," Robin informed his friend, "Too public. She sent me a few texts though."

Wally nodded and they lapsed into a comfortable silence. It lasted for about ten minutes before Robin crossed his arms and leaned back into the couch.

"You know Artemis has been staring at us since I came in," he said, sounding less than half as curious as he normally would.

Wally snorted, "Dude, she's been watching me since I woke up this morning. She thinks I'm going to pull some major practical joke on the whole cave, mainly focusing on her."

Robin looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Are you?"

Wally grinned and wrapped an arm around the young acrobat's shoulders, pulling him closer to his side. "Nope," he made sure to pop the 'p' for emphasis, "Today I'm just gonna hang with my best friend. Maybe we can have a _Lord of the Rings_ movie marathon."

Robin smiled gratefully and relaxed against his friend. "Sounds like a plan," he agreed.

"Besides," Wally added with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "She's completely freaking herself out over it and I don't have to do anything. Best April Fool's joke _ever_."

Hearing Robin's laugh at that made giving up his golden opportunity worth it.

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Gotta love brotherly fluff! **:**D


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